One of the really beneficial points to having a, relatively, new theatre is that it is designed to accommodate modern staging equipment and, as a result, Peter Pan is able to make a tremendously spectacular entrance by flying from one end of the auditorium to the other – and that is just a tiny flavour of the spectacle that now unfolds before us.
With a cast full of TV and West End stars, a three-sectioned revolving stage and some very clever video and flying effects, The Hawth, in collaboration with Evolution Productions, have pulled out all the stops to create one of the biggest and best shows on the panto circuit.
The show begins in the Darling house in London, where the children are soon disturbed by Peter Pan, played by Sam Lupton who previously starred in the UK tour of Avenue Q and in Wicked in the West End.
This is Lupton’s first pantomime, although it would hard to spot that as he is supremely confident when engaging with the children and he shines like a beacon when singing numbers as diverse as Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen and Nothing’s Gonna Harm You from Sweeney Todd.
Eastenders stars Emma Barton, as Tinkerbell, and Shaun Williamson, as Captain Hook are seasoned pantomime professionals and fill their roles very well. Barton brings lashings of East End “street” attitude to the role of Tinkerbell while Williamson is nasty and nice in equal measures, with some children actually sad when he meets a sticky end thanks to Snappy the Crocodile.
The comedy in this production comes thick and fast and is not restricted to the usual one, maybe two, individuals. In Peter Pan, Richard David-Caine and Joseph Elliott, as the pirates Starkey and Skylights, are supported in their comic endeavours by the supremely talented impressionist Hilary O’Neil, who plays the triple bill of Mrs Darling, Myrtle the Mermaid and Big Chief Squatting Cow of the Crazy Horse Tribe, together with Michael J Batchelor as the unstoppable Mrs Smee.
With the four of them working flat-out, as they do, to make the audience laugh, the production sails by on a tidal wave of chuckles and groans, and a few good old-fashioned belly laughs along the way for good measure. Each makes their job look so very easy, a testament to the huge amount of talent that they share.
The Darling children are played by Liam Watts or Will Tarpey (Michael), Toby Maynard or Niall O’Mara (John) and Elizabeth Carter as Wendy. Carter has previously starred in Save The Last Dance For Me, Dreamboats and Petticoats and it’s equally successful sequel, Dreamboats and Miniskirts as well as many other pantomimes.
As a result of all this experience, at such a young age, she is perfect as the slightly bossy but also vulnerable Wendy with a powerhouse voice that almost raises the roof with the totally unexpected, but wonderfully performed, rendition of Rule Britannia!
As is quite usual in many pantomimes, and Crawley’s production of Peter Pan is no exception, the backing dancers work their socks off. Playing Mermaids/Mermen, Pirates and Indian Braves, Danielle Barton, Katie Monks (who also plays Tiger Lily), Connor Byrne, Phil Mennell, Ciaran Rees and Anthony Hughes never miss a cue with scene and costume changes as slick as any to be seen in the West End.
Although Peter Pan is often discounted as “not a proper pantomime”, I heartily recommend everyone to go and see this fantastically funny show – to see just how thoroughly entertaining a really well produced panto can be!
***** Five Stars
